Copper Delos Abernathy

{Pt. 1}Copper's journey began months ago when he ran away from home, arriving in Nuvema Town in the early morning with Cassio at his side after having slipped away in the dead of night. He received his starter from Professor Juniper who was gracious enough to grant him an Oshawott, and soon after fled the Unova Region, wanting to get as far away from his parents and his home as he could before his absence was discovered. He took a boat to the Kanto Region where he spent a few weeks getting used to being away from home, having some new Pokemon around him, and over all getting used to existing in the outside world. It was a bit of a reality shock the more and more he experienced, having met Ridley one day in Viridian City where his perception of people had begun to change, but quickly fled from her after they'd spent a night in a stolen hotel room.

After, Copper caught word of a race around the world and surely thought that, when or if he ever chose to face his parents about what he'd done, he could show them that he managed an entire trip around the world just fine. If he could prove to them that he could survive, not just survive, but thrive and live in the outside world, then maybe they would let him be and keep Cassio and let him continue in his journey, or so he liked to hope. That set in his mind though, Copper spent the next few weeks embarking on his trip around the world, carefully moving through Unova as he obtained six of the region's badges, and ended up coming in third place out of everyone in the world who had entered the race.

Taking in his victory, Copper spent some time back in Kanto after finishing the race, moving north to Rota where Calla, an Azelf, had found him. She did not yet get to meet him though, or him her as Abban had captured her in a sort of panic after fainting her in a battle, but before he could tell Copper of the Pokemon, Copper caught word of a traveling fair and wanted to go since he had never gotten to go to the amusement park in Nimbasa. Afterwards, returning to Rota and coming to meet the psychic who had come to find him, Copper received an invitation to a ball of sorts for Halloween, and after much deliberation on the subject, accepted the invitation and made his way to the ball.

{Pt. 2}Having not been entirely sure how a Gastly was supposed to take them all the way to where ever the Orange Archipelago was, Copper only stood there with Cassio and Abban beside him as the Gastly enveloped them in it's gases. Where Cassio and Abban started to get apprehensive about the action, Copper only stood there as one second he was staring at the shape of the Pokemon Center in front of him, and then the next he wasn't. Abban beside him coughed, raising a hand and swiping at some of the left over gases. Being a knew psychic type, and therefore being knew to being susceptible to ghost type entities, he felt a little less than chipper coming from the ghost's mode of transportation.
"Ugh, that was sickening," Abban groaned, holding his head a bit as he situated himself. Copper on the other hand was fuming again as he was no longer staring at the Pokemon Center, and by all accounts could say that he was no longer in Pewter City as he had been just seconds ago. The smell of salt water wafted heavily through the air, and in the distance he could hear waves crashing against something, like they were near the ocean.
"Do I even want to know how we got here," Copper leered, seething at not having the slightest idea on how he all of a sudden appeared in this not Pewter City place.
"If you know what's good for you, you'll just keep your mouth shut. I'm not about to try and explain this to you," Abban growled lightly, not even daring to touch the subject of teleportation and other forms of travel with Copper who still refused to believe the ghost that was harboring them was real. Instead of arguing back, Copper moved forward with Abban who was following the Gastly now as they were lead up a walkway. Things were quiet outside, but as far as Copper could tell with the noise coming from inside the house, and with Cassio's bell, it all seemed to be a fairly large estate that they found themselves on with a yard going on for as long as Copper could see. They were lead to a set of stairs that Copper moved up, coming to a wall, or more like a door as a figure stood there at the entrance. A silent, and unnoticeable exchange took place in front of Copper, and not moments later the doors were opening, allowing him inside.
Holding on to Cassio's leash, the dog padded beside his trainer as the small group made their way inside through the doors, and while Copper couldn't appreciate the fine decor they found themselves in, Abban nodded in approval at the mansion around them. It wasn't hard to tell afterwards which way they were supposed to go as Copper's sight was full again thanks to the music and chatter that was coming from down the hallway in front of them, and so it was the small group moved forward, reaching the ballroom now as he tried to situate himself in his costume.

The whole situation was still a bit off putting for Copper, there were a lot of variables that had played out to his arriving at the ball as he’d been invited, but he wasn’t sure that he liked it any. Who was this master and how did he know who he was? Abban had a good point at least, that maybe it was because he’d placed third in that around the world race, how could media not have captured him then, but still, why would he even consider sending it in braille, and how did that ghost find him? And past that, he still didn’t even entirely understand nor accept the idea of ghosts. Sure the Pokedex said something was there, but why couldn’t he see it? Abban said they weren’t physical beings, but that was absolutely ridiculous. For something to be not physical, then it wouldn’t exist, and ghosts were dead anyways what was one doing just floating around with an invitation? The whole situation was a bit frustrating, and quite frankly, over whelming for the blind teen as he moved forward into the ball room. The music was more than enough to fill his sight as much as it could go, though with a few beats in the music and what not, a surge in the crowd around him, it caused his vision to blur to where he couldn’t see. He’d be lucky if he didn’t get a headache at the party, if he didn’t have one already.
It was true, he wasn’t social in the slightest, and like having gone off on his journey, what better way to experience something than to do it? However, meandering through the crowds of party goers, Copper was starting to regret his decision. He wasn’t so sure though if he’d made this decision souly for his own enlightenment, or if he was trying to prove something to Abban who was still rubbing him the wrong way. He’d never had a problem with the fox before, but now that he could talk thanks to evolving into a psychic type, he wasn’t sure how he felt about his longtime companion. His decisions as of late hadn’t been amongst the brightest, especially considering he was still harboring the Azelf that was resting in the pokeball she’d been captured in since she was still a little weary. That in and of itself was an issue Copper didn’t want to think about, how his entire journey might not have been up to him and that thing had made his decision for him. He still wasn’t sure if he wanted to believe her, but that was beside the point. He had other things to focus on now.
”For Arceus’ sake, will you stop already? If you don’t get a headache, I will listening to you run your mouth all night,” Abban leered beside him, earning a sideways glance from Copper. He hadn’t said a single word since they stepped into the ballroom, but of course that didn’t matter now to the psychic who stood beside him.
”Then you’re going to get one if you don’t get out of my head. I never gave you an invitation to my mind,” Copper chided back, still not liking the idea of having something swimming around in his mind all the time. He felt violated and like Abban was intruding, and he was since Copper never gave him consent to rest there, but how could he get the fox out? How would he know if he was out to begin with? He almost hated psychic types…
”Hostile much? I’m just as new to this as you are. Quite frankly, I don’t like listening to you talk yourself into a stupor in your mind any more than I like hearing you talk normally. But I can’t figure out how to ignore one or the other yet, so you’re going to have to deal with it,” Abban sneered. Since having connected with Copper’s mind to start talking with him, he couldn’t figure out a way to disconnect yet since he was still learning about his new psychic prowess, so as much as Copper didn’t want him in there and he himself didn’t want to be in there, he was stuck until he figured out how to get out.
Copper sighed with frustration at the fox beside him, trying to just ignore and move past the exchange as he walked with Cassio beside him who was just as unpleased with the new presence in his mind as well. He’d been talking with Abban this whole time on their journey though, sharing exchanges whenever he was out and about, but ever since the fox got all high and mighty with his new powers, he was starting to like him less and less. So much for being as relaxed and out of the way as he was as a Fennekin.
Moving through the crowd, Copper was trying to focus on other things, like the various conversations he was passing. It seemed pretty usual, chatter about the décor, which Copper couldn’t see, conversation about the music which he could more than hear, wondering what that weird kid was doing with a Jolteon on a leash, like he’d never heard that one before, and so on. He was wondering just what it was exactly he was supposed to do there now that he was in fact at the ball, social gatherings weren’t necessarily his strong suit considering he’d never even been invited to a birthday party before, but he wasn’t aware that he’d have to at least say sorry to someone as he knocked into a figure he hadn’t seen after watching some larger thing fly over the crowd of the ball. He stumbled back for a moment, wondering how on earth he managed to knock into something, or someone rather, since he had a better grasp on sight than most normal people did, fumbling with Cassio’s leash for a moment as Abban only shook his head beside him.
”I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there. I didn’t mean to run into you like that,” Copper said in a self-loathing tone as he apologized to the bystander.

Knocking into someone seemed to be the least of Copper's concerns then as what he could assume to be the same giant figure flying over the crowd of the ball came swooping down from the air, brushing through his hair and clothes as it caught on to the figure in front of him. Stumbling and almost tripping over the cape the costumers in Rota insisted he wear with his costume because it made him look that much better, and that much more foolish if they were to ask him, and cursing the garment for what it was worth, Copper righted himself on the ground as he rooted his feet, issuing his apology as he had to whom he might have run into while Abban only stood there disappointed in him. If anyone he was the least clumsy person he knew, which was saying something considering he was blind. So long as there was sound going on, he had no reason to have run into the other party goer like he did, but there was no helping him when he didn't have any periphrial vision or anything.
Copper stood back as he had knocked into the other attendant, looking over the figure now to find it to be a female with the voice that came directed at him. She was shorter than him by a good few inches, and had a small, yet toned figure to her over all slender figure. She stood strong though for her stature, he could see it in her stance as she regarded him then, commenting on how most everyone was bumping into someone or another. He had to admit, with all the discord in the room and so many people trying to move around at once, he wasn't surprised, likewise with all of the Pokemon that may or may not be a distraction or otherwise as he stole a glance at the lanky winged figure that shifted beside the girl.
"Dually noted. But for the record regardless, I didn't intentionally bump into you," Copper started in rebuttal to her comment, being able to hear the distaste in her voice and see it in her body language how not alright she was with being knocked into, but the subject was quick to change as she asked one of the more common questions Copper got on a day to day basis.
Beside him his Jolteon stood, his shoulders easily coming up to the boy's hips as he had watched the small scene unfold. There was little he could do when Copper started running into things, his bell wasn't going to do much good in this case, and he hadn't seen the collision coming to prevent it, so he could only hope that things would smooth over as he stood beside his companion. He regarded the girl with a growl however to match her sour tone, knowing that it wasn't pleasant getting bumped into, but that didn't mean she had to use the harshness of her words on Copper. The teen however silenced Cassio with a tap of his foot as the Jolteon sat, looking the other way from the other of his kind that was sniffing around at him. Where Copper didn't like being asked about Cassio being on a leash, Cassio didn't like it much either for it was far and few between that he found a fellow Pokemon that understood and wouldn't mock him for it. Above though, Copper only sighed, tightening his grip on Cassio's leash.
"To give you the short and narrow of it, I'm blind, and this is my seeing eye Jolteon," Copper started with a small sneer, pausing to let her get a good look at his otherwise pale and glossy eyes.
"Do not, however, mistake my being blind for the reason that I bumped into you. I was trying to figure out what that thing was," Copper finished, not wanting her to get the impression that he was blind so it was all her fault for him bumping into her and he was helpless and couldn't see where he was going, gesturing to the larger figure that was settled beside her.
Abban, however, while it was a great pass time to listen to Copper talk about his 'condition', had taken notice to the change of the scene as this so called master had finally decided to show. He was just as he might have thought, cultured, well dressed, eager to greet everyone as he regarded the whole ballroom. He started to talk about contests and games, which all sounded a bit trivial for the psychic to really take interest in. He knew Copper wasn't going to be winning any costume contests, and he himself certainly didn't feel like participating in any race, so he took the liberty of letting Ostinato out, knowing that really, none of Copper's Pokemon were inherently fast, so his water type companion would just have to do.

Giving his affirmation that he hadn't intentionally bumped into her, Copper narrowed his eyes at the girl in front of him at the mention of him running into her just to take something. Little did most anyone know, he thought about it sometimes, just being able to fend blind and helpless, poking around in things until he righted himself to continue. It would be quite easy for him to take what he wanted, one of the many 'perks', if one could call it that, of his conditiion, but to think that that was her first thought upon being bumped into by him, he had to digress. She wasn't a fair judge of character, he could see the stiffness in her body then, as if just mentioning it was cause to make it true. It was an insult if anything, for as good natured as Copper liked to think he was.
"Maybe next time I bump into you I actually will take something since that's your first thought. Thanks for thinking I'm a theif, I really appreciate it," Copper leered with a harshness in his tone, matching the tone that she was giving him. And her body language was all he needed to know that she was as interested in this little encounter as he was, having been learning to read people with body language and what not since he couldn't very well see facial expressions, or the light in someone's eyes, or the way their face might drop when hearing something bad.
However certain she might have been that he was in fact some kind of theif, Copper watched her pause, her face fixated on his, or at least he could assume so in his comment about him being blind. It took most people a second or two to realize it, but where it was quite obvious, they always had to take that second glance because of how he could see without seeing. It was a difficult thing to explain, but her skeptisim spoke volumes as she motioned to the thing beside her, calling it an Aerodactyl. Copper glanced in the Pokemon's direction then, studying it's shape, but it wasn't a Pokemon he remembered or knew of if at all.
"Thanks, a name is going to give me everything. I might be able to see it sitting there but that doesn't mean I know what it is," Copper chided back, as if just telling him it was an 'Aerodactyl' was going to actually correct his comments on it being just a thing. He still knew very little about Pokemon, still trying to figure out some of his own that he had with him, so it was next to useless to just simply give him a Pokemon's name.
The girl's focus moved again though as he watched her glance down at Cassio who's needles were still prickling, a stray spark dripping from his fur every now and again as he growled lightly at being brought into the conversation. Never once was he one to take to any one person that Copper found himself in company with, and this human female certainly wasn't any different, especially the way she was regarding Copper, and even daring to compare him to her own of his species. Cassio only raised his head and looked the other way, knowing in comparison he was far stronger than she could assume by just looking at him, and was much more a viable threat than her own dog. That, and how could she know that Cassio was on a similar plain in comparison to hers just by looking at him? Copper certainly wasn't able to look at Abban and know that he was strong, or glancing at her own Jolteon, he wouldn't be able to tell it from a pup to an elder of it's kind. Even if he was blind, he could still see things, and he wasn't sure how this girl could 'see Cassio's level' as she had commented on.
"Level? What are you talking about? Cassio's strong, yes, but he can't possibly be on the same level as yours. He's trained to be much more than just a battle compatriot," Copper offered back in distaste, knowing if there were ever a Jolteon, Cassio was at the top tier of his species. He didn't know any Pokemon to be as intelligent, vigilant, knowledgeable, or multi talented as Cassio was with how much the dog has to do on a day to day basis. Even Abban who was clearly amongst human intellegence now couldn't match to Cassio's level of thinking, at least Copper thought. Cassio was the best Pokemon in the world to him, and he wasn't going to have him compared to just any other Jolteon since he'd known him for the better part of his life, knowing everything the dog was capable of and then some. He wasn't sure what grounds she had to make that comparison in the least, but he wasn't going to let Cassio be brought down to a common ground.
Before Copper could continue to defend Cassio and wonder what on earth this girl meant by levels, Copper hadn't very well taken much notice to the mansion owner coming out to greet them all, but the atmosphere of the party had certainly changed as conversation picked up again and he could hear various other calls of Pokemon coming from their Pokeballs. Listening around him, he caught as much information as he needed, hearing word of the mansion owner coming to greet them, apologizing for his being late, something about a costume contest which less than struck Copper's interest, and something about a race for the Pokemon. Where Copper might have suggested Vivace or Brillante, or even Acceso to participate, after a little voice from one of the girl's Pokemon, a psychic no doubt, was given permission by her trainer to be in the race, Copper looked behind him then at the mention of his own Pokemon that he would be using for the race, finding Ostinato out and about now as the otter moved forward to meet Copper, his large head coming to settle beside Copper's.
"It appears I don't have much say in that," Copper replied, giving a small glare to Abban off to the side who only shrugged. However, Copper knew Ostinato to be one of the toughest, strong willed and competative Pokemon that he knew, so he didn't want to very well deny the otter a chance to participate.
"I suppose though Ostinato could give it a shot," Copper finished, patting the water type's fur on his neck.

A bit off put by the conversation he'd found himself in and clearly not understanding the relevance of anything the girl was saying to him since he didn't ask for a definition, didn't ask for her help, didn't ask for a pokedex entry on her flying rock, Copper was about to turn and leave when the party took another swift turn where this master came down some of the stairs and started calling for an evactuation. Copper couldn't have found the situation any more loathable, he was more or less forced to go to the party to begin with, and now that he hadn't even had a good time to start at all, it was over and they were being forced to evacuate because a hurricane was coming? This was just great. Things were quick to pick up in chaos as people around him started to panic, and to be frank, he had to panic just a little too. Being in central Unova, the worst weather conditions they ever had were your normal average thunderstorm, or if they were really unlucky they'd get a rouge sandstorm that blew up from the desert just south of Nimbasa, but that was the extent of it. He didn't know what kind of havoc a hurricane could wreak, and he wasn't exactly keen on staying to find out. However, before too much else could be done in preparation for leaving on the rescue boats and national guard this master could apparently just call up out of no where, two of what he assumed to be his servants or something came bursting through the doors, saying that the boats weren't there. Which was absolutely perfect. Copper shot Abban a quick glare, clearly blaming the fox for this as things started to rise in panic, and as far as anyone was concerned, they were stuck. Apparently some psychic type couldn't teleport them out because of something called a Sharpedo, whatever the hell that was, and some guy's flying whatever would get lost in the Hurricane. This was just fantastic. Copper didn't want to spend all night in a mansion in the middle of the ocean where he hadn't even really wanted to come in the first place, but it looked like that was going to be the case, until he heard the shuttering sound of electricity pulsing and shutting off.
All at once Copper's head started to pount and shrieks and screams came from every which way, and covering his ears he could barely make out the fuzzy and blurry shape of Cassio on the ground beside him. He couldn't do anything, couldn't see anything, all of the screaming and shouting was clouding his vision and making it impossibly hard for him to sift through all of the sounds that were echoing off the walls, but in a fleeting moment of chaos he felt something grabbing at him, and for all he knew it was someone trying not to run into him or trip over him, which he had to be thankful for, but loosing his own balance Copper settled himself on the floor beside Cassio who he could feel growling beside him, feeling his fur bristling as he remained on the ground, holding his head and trying to make the world stop buzzing. Even when he heard the ever faint sound of the electricity coming back on, Copper still couldn't see or hear very much with everyone shouting and screaming still for whatever unknown reason. It wasn't until he heard Abban's voice in his head, saying something about Ostinato being gone that he had even the slightest idea of what was happening, but it still took until the master had gotten control of the crowd again until Copper could actually see anything.
Slowly but surely his vision was clearing up, but as he'd heard Abban, he couldn't see Ostinato's figure anywhere, he knew it now, knowing what his shape was, how he moved, being able to tell him apart from other Samurott, but he couldn't find him anywhere, apparently no one could find their Pokemon which was the clamour of conversation that Copper could hear around him.
There was little time for much else as Copper heard his name, the master bidding him to move up to the attic to start looking for the thieves, and with haste the blind teen moved with Cassio and Abban to the specified direction, starting to follow his own little search party.

Things had since quieted down after leaving the ballroom behind, but even with his ears still ringing and his head pounding, it was a double edged sword. Too much noise and he couldn't see, too little noise and he still couldn't see, which was the case as Copper and his Pokemon made their way towards the specified staircase that would lead them up to the attic. Cassio's bell was all Copper had to go on as the teen started to make his way up the stairs, Cassio leading the way as he gripped on to his leash, and Abban following close behind.
"Just so you're aware, I blame you for this," Copper leered at Abban behind him, earning a roll of the fox's eyes.
"Yes, I'm aware that you're so pitiful that you need someone to blame," Abban returned with a light snarl.
"If you hadn't pressed for this party, none of this would have happened. Ostinato is gone," Copper chided through gritted teeth, unable to really wrap his mind around it. Never once had he even began to fathom that something like this could happen, would happen, or would even happen to him... He knew there were bad people in the world and bad things happened... But he never would have thought they'd happen to him... He didn't think he was exempt from terrible things happening by any means, but...
"Putting blame on me isn't going to bring him back, you think I'm not just as upset as you are," Abban growled, having tried to keep Ostinato and himself safe in the darkness. While Copper was on the ground unable to do a darn thing because of his handicap that he hardly ever acknowledges, Abban knew something was wrong, that something was happening. He and Ostinato fought against the things that were grabbing them in the darkness, the psychic wielding his fire and Ostinato snapping with his fangs, but it just wasn't enough, they'd gotten Ostinato's Pokeball right off of Copper's belt while he was feining useless, and that was the end of it.
"If you want someone to blame, blame the people that took him. I actually tried to do something about them when the lights went out, where were you," Abban seethed through his fangs, watching Copper stop as the teen turned to look down at him on the stairs.
"Say that again, I dare you," Copper said in a tone laiden with anger and frustration and every bit of hatred and loathing he was feeling at the situation, all targeted at Abban now.
"Or you'll what? Huh? You know I'm powerful, that's why you're scared of me. You can't do a single thing to me, you're just a helpless little blind human," Abban barked back, watching the shock on Copper's face as he dared to say those words, but before Copper could say much Cassio pushed passed him, lunging forward on his hind legs as he caught Abban's shoulders, pinning him against the wall of the stairwell. The Jolteon glared at the fox now with dark feral eyes, his jowls twitching in a snarl that showed his fangs. Copper might not be much of a threat, but it was things like this Cassio was trained for, and he was going to make sure Abban knew that.
"I've let you go unscathed long enough. You might think you're powerful now because you evolved, but give me one more reason and you'll be put in your place where you belong," Cassio growled, issuing his warning as sparks dripped from his bristling needle point fur. While Abban's point was only being proven further that Copper was useless and worthless since Cassio had to fight all of his battles for him, he knew that he'd gotten his point across regardless as he glared back at the dog in front of him. However, he wasn't going to test his luck, knowing the dog was far more trained than he let on, so he only shrugged Cassio off of his shoulders.
"Do what you want you mongrol mutt. I'm going to go find my friend," Abban growled, pushing past Copper as he started the rest of the way up the stairs.

Moving up the staircase in silence now, Copper could only really focus on Abban's words to him, knowing they were true... If he wasn't blind, if he wasn't sound sensitive, if he could have seen who had come to take Ostinato's Pokeball when they'd grabbed at him, none of this would have happened... He knew he was helpless sometimes, he knew he was useless in most situations, he just never liked to admit to it, though it was blatantly clear now. He knew it must be just as hard on Abban as it was him to lose Ostinato like that, but the fox had to understand that Copper wasn't just going to stand by and let this happen, he was going to do everything that it took in order to find Ostinato and the people that took him. What was done was done, he couldn't change that, and no matter how much it hurt knowing that Abban resented him like that, he had to accept that it happened, and the only thing he could do was look like the master had suggested. If anything, Copper now had an asset in searching, knowing he could see things that most people couldn't, so hopefully he could make up for his mistake, but until then, he knew things were going to be rough with Abban.
Where the psychic had pushed forward, Abban had already made it through the door, thrusting it open with his less than controlled psychic prowess at the moment as Copper was soon to follow through. The smell of antique and old wood was very prominent as it filled Copper's senses, and most, if not all of the room was visible to him thanks to the pelting rain on the roof just above them. He could see the slightest movements in sheets being rustled by a stray breeze, or even the movement of people just a bit a ways away, those who he had come to search with, so he knew now that his sight was an asset, not a hindrance, and he was going to make sure that he caught anything that was suspicious or otherwise out of place as he started into the main of the attic with Cassio beside him.

Having since been left with only Cassio beside him while Abban had gone to look on his own through the attic, Copper moved into the space through the door as he had come into the attic, adjusting to the new scents and sounds that were filling his senses. If most anything, he felt himself shiver as he noticed the sudden drop in the temperature, supposing he hadn't quite taken note of it upon the gradual drop up the staircase he'd taken. He was a tad thankful now of the cloak the shop keepers in Rota had insisted he wear as he pulled it closer around his body, moving through the paths of boxes and furniture to start the search he'd been set on.
Already he could tell some of it had been searched, or at least he could assume so with the voices that were just ahead of him, being able to see figures moving around. They were all talking about one thing or another, where to search, how to search, what they were looking for, and if Copper had to be quite frank with himself, he wasn't exactly sure on any of those questions himself. Surely they'd be able to tell if someone was hiding in the attic, or at least he'd be able to if there was sudden suspicious movement, but other than that, he couldn't really tell what other things they might be looking for. Were there going to be clues, or leads on if they might have been up there at one point, plotting this and timing everything to steal the Pokemon? That wouldn't do a lot of good if in fact there was that sort of clue amongst them since the Pokemon were already stolen, in which it would also mean they weren't up in the attic. However, one could never be too certain. The only certainty was that whoever organized themselves to steal Pokemon from an entire ballroom full of people obviously knew what they were doing, and they needed to be careful. There could be dozens of these thieves all over the place as far as any one of them knew, and if that were to be the case then, Copper wasn't entirely sure what they were going to be able to do... Surely their Pokemon combined might be able to do something, but these thieves were good, they had to be, so they had to have things planned out to the T, which was a less than comforting thought for the blind teen.
"Stay alert Cassio. Anything suspicious is fair game," Copper commented to the dog beside him who inched along through a row of boxes with him, his fur sharp and his eyes sharper as he watched the area around him. It was dim, yes, brinking on dark, and of course all the smells of old dust, antiques, possibly mold from the moisture outside and who knew what else could cloud the Jolteon's senses, but he was on the offensive now, and wasn't going to back down. This was the kind of situation he was trained for, he was trained to take care of Copper and his things, and amongst his things that meant his Pokeballs, and by extent his Pokemon. He felt just as responsible for Ostinato's disappearance as both Abban and Copper did, if not more since it was his job to keep watch on everything, to make sure Copper didn't have his things stolen or otherwise, and he'd failed then, he wasn't going to fail in getting their lost teammate back. As such, Cassio stalked forward with each step, listening to every little sound he could catch on to as his ears twitched this way and that as they started to near the group just ahead of them. Copper was listening, trying to get a feel for what had and hadn't already been done in the attic, and was ready to make an inquiry of his own when he heard an all too familiar voice take notice to him.
Where he had recalled hearing the mention of a Ridley being sent amongst his allotted search party, he would have never fathomed it was the same Ridley he'd met in Viridian City that time ago. He'd quite literally traveled the entire world since then and had hoped never to see her again, but that notion seemed to be in vain as he caught sight of her figure. It was certainly her alright, the tone of her voice, the accent she made sure came through, the way she held herself, and he should have known he'd smelt something faintly familiar upon entering the attic space, the smell of sweet syrup. In the back of his mind, the smell forced him back to that night in the hotel, standing there with her as he was backed up against the door, being able to feel how close she was then and breathe in how intoxicatingly sweet the smell of her hair was. His heart picked up pace slightly again as it had then at just the thought of it, though he couldn't even begin to fathom why. If anything, it was probably the frustration he'd felt then being mixed with the frustration he felt now, for he couldn't understand why else he'd be reacting as such to seeing her again. Her comment towards him was expected though, being able to hear the emphasis on a certain word she threw at him, listening to her favored nick name for him, and where Cassio was snarling beside him now at seeing her in front of them again, Copper too was getting ready to snap back at her for her comment when everything went black.
Copper didn't have any warning other than a yelp from Cassio beside him at the blinding light before the explosion shook the walls and floor around them from the mansion being struck by lightning. Copper shouted and grimmaced at the sudden sound as his vision clouded over, falling to the ground as he held his hands over his ears. The sound reverberated off the walls and the thunder continued to clash outside as he gritted his teeth together, almost being able to taste the metalic taste of blood in his mouth from trying to cope with the pain of his head then. His ears were ringing and his vision was blurred, and surely his headache was going to last the remainder of the night and well into the next day now as he struggled to stand, but no sooner had he started to ease himself up from the floor, not being able to focus on any one sound around him, he was thrust to the side on his already unstable legs by what felt like a shove from a pair of hands, sending him tumbling over a set of boxes and what not. Copper shouted again, trying to steady himself, feeling Cassio's leash slip off of his wrist as he tumbled over head first into a large box, struggling and squirming and trying to get out of it as he tried to orient himself with his vision. He could hear various screams and shouts, but his ears were still in far too much pain to determine directions, or even the sources of the shouts, but no sooner did he find himself struggling with everything he knew at the time, he felt something tugging at one of his pant legs. Cassio was pulling him after having searched the short distance for him, pulling the box over with Copper with it as the teen let out a grunt at hitting the ground. As far as he could tell, things around him were almost silent then, despite the fuzziness of his vision, as though the thieves had gotten away again. He pushed himself out of the box and sighed, cursing himself for letting them go. If he wasn't sound sensitive, if he hadn't been utterly blind then, he could have seen where every single one of them had gone, he could have captured them and gotten Ostinato back for him and Abban...
"Thanks Cassio...," Copper sighed, feeling Cassio's muzzle nudging at his hand, the end of his leash sitting between his teeth. Copper took it then and slipped it back on to his wrist as he stood uneasily, trying to stop the spinning in his head as he looked around. Everything had fallen pretty much silent again except for the pelting rain outside, and of course the arguments now that were arising from some of the others of his search party. Looking around though, he saw Abban's figure moving towards him, though he heard no words from the psychic as he walked passed him, and Copper wasn't going to argue then. They weren't exactly on speaking terms. He moved forward regardless to meet up with the rising commotion, finding a figure standing in front of them all. He might not have been able to recognize the figure until one of the other boys started shouting at him for being a butler, to which Copper figured he had to have been the butler from earlier in the ball. What shouting at him was going to do, he wasn't sure, but he kind of felt like shouting at everything and everyone around him to, even though it'd hurt his head even more. Ridley though was quick to pick up on the shouting as she targeted the boy, the tone of her voice demeaning and full of ridicule.
"Now Ridley it won't do anyone any good if you start patronizing everyone. You're not helping any more than he is," Copper leered at her as he came to the group, facing the butler now.
"If we give him a chance, he might actually tell us what he's doing up here and if he saw anything," Copper stated, less in really wanting to know what the butler was in fact doing up in the attic and more in wanting everyone to shut up for just one second so he could stop his head from spinning.

With Cassio beside him and Abban off to the side, Copper stood there now with the rest of the group as they were regarding the butler. It was a curious thing wondering just what the butler was doing up in the attic, but clearly it was for good reason as he had explained. The storm was getting worse outside, Copper could tell, with the rain pelting harder and every thunder clash that happened. He could hear the wind howling outside from the window, scraping against the mansion roof and whistling through some holes in the walls. It was no wonder then, since Raphiel had said his staff was going to start to prepare the mansion for the hurricane to come so it could weather the storm better, so why was everyone still on the defensive? However, while his being up there made sense and all, the butler didn't seem to be of much help at all since it didn't seem like he knew which way the thieves went either. Obviously, the only way they could go was out of the attic, but there might be another door they weren't aware of that could lead to another part of the mansion and therefore to their escape. He had to digress, he wished the lightning hadn't hit the mansion, then he would have been able to see exactly which way they all went to follow after them since everyone else was stumbling around in the dark, but it was a sad fact of the truth that his ears were still ringing and his vision was still fuzzy, which was why giving a glare to Ridley at her comment only allowed him to see so much of her.
"Oh please Ridley. You never defend yourself, you only attack others. Don't think you can play innocent," Copper leered at her, knowing her tone of voice all too well already. He might not be too savvy on social interaction still yet, clearly since his conversation down stairs had been going oh so well, but flying around the world and being amongst more people than just his parents, he was learning how to understand different people, tones and ways of speaking and what they mean to a conversation. He couldn't very well see facial expressions or things of the like hardly at all, so going off of voice and body language was all he had, and he was learning, and he knew Ridley was doing anything but defending herself.
That being said though, his attention turned back to the butler who had started towards them for only a few steps before settling himself on what looked like a box, regarding them as what sounded to be like fools. It was a thought that hadn't crossed his mind really, but if he had to be honest, he could fathom that any single one of the people around him could have pulled off such a stunt as stealing an entire ballroom's Pokemon without a single trace, and all of them had Pokemon missing of their own. The only person he might suspect was Ridley, but even she seemed to be pretty beat up about loosing one of her Pokemon as any of them were, so why was there cause to suspect any of their own? But the tone was quick to change and shift as the butler regarded himself, telling them he could stab them in the back just as quick. It was enough to cause Copper to stammer on a bout of words as he thought what on earth the butler could be talking about, but before he could offer anything on the subject, the butler continued, talking to them as if this was all some hoax and they figured it out. That didn't seem to be the case though as Cassio started to snarl and growl at the butler who stood before them now, and while Copper couldn't see the distortion of his face or the whites of his eyes, he could feel Cassio's uneasiness and unsettling demeanor.
"Cassio, what's wrong," Copper asked, feeling the dog starting to pull on his leash to get him to go in the other direction.
"I'll tell you what's wrong. You're blind and can't see that that so called butler is possessed," Abban growled, watching the grotesque scene in front of him as he tried to follow suit with Cassio, trying to pull Copper away.
"Possessed? What the hell are you talking about," Copper snapped back, not understanding what on earth Abban was talking about, but his words were cut short as a gust of wind blew over the group, and Copper only had the mind to duck and dodge out of the way of all of the boxes and items flying in their direction before the area around them was cleared away, but where the butler had once been standing, he wasn't there.
"What happened? Where's the butler," Copper asked with a cough at all the dust in the air now, looking around, unable to see the new form of the butler, the Gengar that was standing in front of them now.
"Arceus! You're completely useless! The butler was a Gengar," Abban barked.
"Stop yelling at me you over glorified animal! We're supposed to help each other! That's what we're on a team for," Copper shouted over the pelting rain on the roof above them as he glared at Abban, though he stumbled a bit and fell backwards to the ground at not being able to take a step forward, feeling something grabbing at his ankles. Copper looked, trying to move his feet, but he couldn't see anything, he couldn't see what was grabbing him and holding him there, but he could certainly feel it.
"I-I can't move! There's something grabbing me but I can't see it," Copper breathed frantically, starting to panic as he grasped at his ankles, trying to feel for anything to get himself free.
"What is it?! Why can't I see it! What's happening," Copper said in hysteria now, unable to find anything to grab on to to make whatever was holding him there let go.
"Stop panicing! You're only going to make it worse," Abban barked at him again, knowing that Copper would sooner drive himself into madness than understand what was going on. His words still stuck in his mind though, about them being on a team... Never once had Copper treated him like anything other than a valued member of their travels, he was always there, even from the beginning when he was still a young Fennekin, and what was he doing? He was treating Copper like the lowly human he thought he was now, but it didn't used to be that way... Copper was still struggling, hyperventalating almost as he was squirming on the ground, Cassio pawing at his ankles and trying to make the shadowy hands go away.
"Just stop okay? You're not going to help yourself, you have to trust me," Abban said again, grabbing on to Copper's hands then as he held the boy in place. Copper was tembling and quivering, his hands unable to hold still in the fox's grasp, and he was certain it wasn't because the temperature had changed again. He could tell Copper was scared, as scared as he'd ever been before in knowing him for the length of their journey thus far.
"This is a ghost, a ghost is doing this and you can't see it. I know you don't think they're real, but they are, and there's one attacking right now. You have to believe me," Abban told him, trying to get him to calm down though he could hear small sobs coming from Copper's figure in the dim fire light from the Braixen.
"I can't... I don't.... I don't know what's happening, I don't know what to do," Copper choked finally, shuttering and shaking almost violently now as he sat there on the ground, feeling the holds at his ankles still. Never once in his life had something even remotely close to this happened. He could always see what was happening, he could always see something around him, that was what made him normal in his eyes, what made him not so different from everyone else. Not being able to see colors, or not even being able to see himself in a mirror didn't matter to him as long as he could function on the same level everyone else around him could, but here he was completely helpless and useless because he couldn't see this ghost that was attacking them, he couldn't do anything and it was killing him inside knowing he was dependant again, knowing he couldn't do anything to help himself like he'd been doing his whole life to prove to himself that he could live in the real world. But if this was the real world, what was he supposed to do about it...? If this was the real world... How was he supposed to survive?
"I know you're scared, and you can't see it, but that's what I'm here for, that's what Cassio is here for and Maestoso and everyone. You might think you can take care of yourself, and most of the time you can, but where you've done nothing but help us, you have to let us help you now," Abban told him then, knowing it would be hard for him to understand with how independent he always thought he was, but the fact of the matter was, he couldn't always take care of himself, and he did need help whether he liked to admit it or not, and he needed to let go of that control and trust the Pokemon he'd been working with for so long now.
Abban was still holding Copper's frantic arms in his hands as Cassio sat beside him, trying to give him the comfort he needed in his break down, but where he couldn't offer any words, far too shaken up and confused and frightened at what was going on, he could only offer Abban a nod. Giving him that trust, relinquishing his control, it hurt him inside, knowing now that he was helpless just like his parents always made him believe, but he couldn't do anything about it no matter how much he wanted to say otherwise.

Sitting there on the ground shivering and trembling there was so little Copper could do as the battle had started to wage on around him. His ankles were still bound to the floor as far as he could tell, and his ears were still ringing from the explosion earlier, but now his head was pounding because of everything that was happening around him that he couldn't even begin to put into words for himself. Never once in his life had he even began to fathom that anything non physical could exist in the world. Everything that surrounded him, everything that made up the world, he could see it, feel it, know that it was there. He could see the boxes and furniture strewn all around the attic now, he could see the other trainers struggling on the ground around him since they shared the very same fate, he could see Cassio beside him snarling and growling at every slight movement around them as he was guarding his trainer, but he couldn't see the thing that was attacking them, and that was enough for Copper to know he was entirely useless in the situation at hand. Knowing that there was something that wasn't physical in the world, that there were things that were otherwise supernatural as Abban had put it, it was almost too much for Copper to handle at the confirmation of any doubts he'd had about such things. Never once in his time in his journey, or in his entire life had he encoutered a ghost, or even thought to think that they were real, but now there was one in front of him, and he'd dare himself to say it wasn't real, that none of this was actually happening. Copper didn't want to know what else there was in the world that was as gruesome and horrible as this thing that attacking them was, already being able to tell that if this is a type of Pokemon, then at the very least there were more of it's type in the world, but that was a knowledge he wished he could live without knowing, to go back to his ignorance on thinking the only supernatural things in the world were Abban being able to speak and open his Pokeball on a whim.
Abban and Cassio sat beside Copper, knowing that he was far from able to even support himself to stand up let alone go on without them near him as they watched the shadows, watching for the Gengar lurking there. Where they couldn't see him though, his words came through the darkness in a hiss, washing over them like a sickly wave of toxic vapor. Copper despite his reeling mind and slow decent into madness couldn't help but listen to the words coming from nowhere as they circled around him in the darkness. They came to his mind just like Abban's words did, not anything close to how Bravur spoke, and it only made Copper feel all the more vulnerable and helpless as if this thing could just trapse up and down the avenue of his mind just as Abban could and there was nothing he could do about it. 'That's what they say every year...' That couldn't possibly mean what Copper could only assume it meant... Could it? Just the mere thought of it made Copper sick to his stomach as he remained there on the ground.
"It's not true... It can't be true," Copper tried to tell himself in a shaky, quivering voice, wanting to believe his own words over those of the monster that was looming in the shadows. He didn't want to believe that there had been others before him that had come to this mansion for a party, others before him that had had their Pokemon stolen from them, who had wanted nothing more than to find their lost companions. He didn't want to imagine that someone just as lost and afraid as he was could have been sitting in his very spot on the floor as their ankles were bound by some unseen force, unable to escape the fate that he could feel coming upon them. He didn't want to fathom that they never got to see their Pokemon again, that their efforts and good intentions had all been in vain as they were defeated and... He didn't want to believe that that would be his fate... That this ghost was going to do the very same thing as it had done what could be countless times before... He didn't want to die....
"Copper, don't think about it, it's not true. We're going to get out of here and we're going to find Ostinato, you have to believe me," Abban tried to get through as he could feel Copper's mind starting to slip, though his words were cut off as another clash of thunder came from outside, shaking the walls around them and the floor beneath them, causing Copper to shout as he held his head, cradling his ears in his hands as everything went black around him once more.
In the darkness though, Cassio and Abban watched the Gengar emerge from the shadows, targeting one of the Pokemon out and about, what looked like Ridley's Mawile as it was struck up over the boxes. Cassio growled and snarled at the manefestation as he only dared the ghost to come anywhere near Copper, standing as his fur began to bristle and drip with sparks. The Jolteon barked before releasing a large bolt of electricity that charged for the ghost.

Amongst everything that was happening around him, Copper was still trembling and quivering on the ground as he held his head with his hands, trying to cover his ears from the clash of thunder that shook the walls around him. Gritting his teeth, he was almost certain he could taste the metallic hint of blood on his tongue, but that was the least of his concerns as his vision was clouded over again and his ears were throbbing with pain just as his head was. Around him the battle still waged on with the ghost that was tormenting them so, and with an affirmation that he was doing little to phase the trainers he was faced with, he moved to increase the tension around them as it still remained almost freezing cold in the attic, and they were still being held in place. Copper was trying to get his head to stop spinning and his ears to stop ringing so he could at the very least try to focus despite his innate desire to close himself off from the happenings around him, unable to accept still the entity that was a non physical being, but his breath caught in his throat as he felt the holds on his ankles, the very force he couldn't see, starting to claw and move up his legs until eventually it came to his belt line, wrapping around his lower torso. His skin was crawling and writhing with uncontrollable chills and small spasms at having this force climb up his body, but as he only had the natural human insinct to struggle against what was holding him as he squirmed on the ground, he felt himself grow weary and exhausted almost immediately as his shoulders began to droop. Abban beside him who was still trying to help ease Copper's mind and help him understand what was going on around him felt a shift in Copper's demeanor as he looked to his trainer, finding his mind growing quieter and his figure growing still.
"Copper, what's happening," Abban asked, grabbing on to the blind teen's shoulders then as he brought him back up to a sitting position.
"I... I-I don't know.... I f-feel tired...," Copper muttered through shaky breaths from the cold, and despite the panic that still ravaged through his body, he couldn't help but let in to the exhaustion that was taking him over bit by bit. Abban couldn't make sense of what was happening to Copper, that was until he looked to the Gengar that was attacking them, glaring at his question. The ghost was getting bigger, and looked as though it hadn't taken the first round of attacks from the other Pokemon amongst them...
"It's sapping your life energy...," Abban breathed finally, looking back to the Gengar with a snarl in his fangs. Cassio however was on the front of the battle, trying to keep the monster at bay, and just the mere words from the fox were enough to earn a feral bark from the Jolteon as he stepped forward. Ducking out of the way of the thunder strike the Gengar fired off towards one of their battle mates, the electric type snarled and growled with bristling fur as he took aim at the ghost, opening his fanged muzzle and releasing a large purple ball of ghostly energy as it struck at the ghost type.

Bearing the effects of the Gengar trying to steal their life from them, Copper was starting to sink futher and further on the ground as the ghost was making easy work of taking their energy, their sense of being. He was feeling more and more tired every passing second, and despite the biting cold around them, his eyes began to flutter closed every so often, wanting to give in to the exhaustion. He thought maybe, through all of this, this might just be some horrible, awful, terrible nightmare that he'd fallen victim to, and if he let himself fall asleep, then he'd wake up back in Pewter City, and none of this would have happened in the first place. It was a comforting thought, one Copper wanted to give in to, but beside him Abban kept urging him to stay awake, to hold on just that much longer so they didn't lose him. Things were unraveling quickly, and time was running out, but Cassio took his aim and shot off a shadow ball attack, striking the ghost in the middle of it's large body as it was sent back into the far wall behind it, slumping against the wall as it hit. Copper was waning in consciousness then, only staying awake with Abban's constant shaking of his shoulders, but as the Gengar had been struck, Copper felt, or what he could only hope and pray to be, the holds on his body release and he was able to move freely. It was a subconscious thought though, still hunched over on the ground now as he was just barely coming out of almost falling victim to his draining life, but Cassio came back to Copper's side quickly to help support him as he tucked himself under one of Copper's arms.
Around them the room began to get warmer, and the Gengar smaller again as it had been bested, but it wasn't down for the count, not quite as it stood, feigning some kind of lack luster tone as the floors and walls around them began to creak and shutter. No sooner had the attic shuttered around them than did the ghost begin to panic, earning concern from Cassio and Abban who stood their ground, Cassio charging forward again to meet the ghost who was coming for them all, but it was stopped in mid air as a bout of shadows caught hold of it, dragging it away and swallowing it almost, as it's voice disappeared around them.
Slowly but surely, Copper was coming to beside them, having almost lost consciousness at already being so physically weakened by trying to accept that his mind was slowly slipping away from him, and within moments he could sit himself upright, but otherwise he seemed rather oblivious to the happenings that just took place, which both his sake, and the sake of his Pokemon, was probably a good thing. Cassio and Abban glanced at each other wearily, listening around them to make sure it was all really over, but what should have been a victory only felt like a defeat with the ghost's words. What was it talking to, and why was that monstrous creature scared of it? What else was in this house that took the ghost, and why did they get the feeling that they should be afraid of whatever it was? Things around them were quiet for a moment, or really as quiet as it could be with the raging storm outside as rain still pelted against the roof and the wind shook and rattled the windows, and Copper started to stir a bit more as he stretched his legs, free of their restraints and no longer thethered by an unseen force. Around him he heard the other trainers starting to come into light too as they were recovering from the Gengar's attacks, one particular voice being that of Ridley who was more or less calling for a roll call. He rolled his eyes at her words as he shifted on the ground again, looking around as he found Cassio and Abban beside him.
"Where did it go...? It's gone, right," Copper asked in a weary tone, his frame still shaking from knowing that such things existed in the world around him.
"We're not sure...," Abban answered, knowing Copper couldn't have seen any of what happened to the Gengar, hitting the wall, charging for them, being drug away by shadows, it was all non physical apparitions that couldn't be hit by sound, which was going to be hard to explain to Copper, though no sooner did Abban start to try, everything around them froze as the floor beneath them began to creak. Where it had done just that when the Gengar started to panic, it caused Cassio to bristle with dripping sparks as he growled and snarled around them, but with one final creak, and just a moment of silence, everything around them started to shift as the floor started caving in beneath them.
Cassio yelped as a floor board broke beneath his paws, leaping into the air as he moved closer to Copper who was struggling to stand with Abban trying to help him up. They clammored for a time as the floor started disappearing around them, but just as they got their footing and were starting to move, they started to sink as the floor behind them was breaking. Copper tried to keep his vision straight as it was starting to blur and grow fuzzy at all the noises and screams around him, but one particular scream came through as he saw a figure coming closer, and no sooner did he feel something grab on to his arm and the smell of sweet syrup crossed his nose, he gave out his own scream as they plunged into the darkness below them.
Everything around him was fuzzy and blurry now as screaming echoed around him and the floor was still creaking, and with one final plunge through what should have been a solid surface beneath them, Copper found himself in a closed shaft as he clamored down it with Ridley shrieking beside him. The grip on his arm was just the same as it had been when they'd met that first time, save for him feeling like he was going to lose circulation soon as he tried to orient himself to grab at her arm to make her let go, but it was in vain as they started to hit corners on the way down, turning with each new direction. Above him Cassio's claws scratched and clawed at the metal surface around him, trying his very best to contain his sparks and needles in not wanting to injure any undeserving parties, where Abban was cursing himself at not being able to figure out how to teleport him and Copper out of the mess they were in as the fox struggled to keep himself oriented within the shaft.

The trip through the air vents was excrutiating and almost nauseating as Copper's head spun from all the noise and commotion happening around him, though he couldn't determine exactly what it was he was hearing as he barreled through the vents, hearing too many things and too many other noises that didn't quite match up to what he thought he should be hearing. It all lasted far longer than he would have liked as they finally came to the end of it all though, sliding out onto a solid surface, a floor as it were, coming to a stop covered in dust and cobwebs, and bruises and a few scs probably, where Copper had to take a moment to himself to recooperate as Cassio and Abban too were sprawled out on the ground around him.

Having lost count of how many times he hit something on the way down, Copper only laid there on the ground now in a breathless heap, sprawled out on the ground with his eyes closed shut, just trying to get his head to stop spinning. Even with the calming, quiet atmosphere around him now, his ears were ringing and his head was throbbing which was causing his vision to go blurry from the ride down. Just the slightest motions came with a grimmace as he gritted his teeth together, being able to feel bruises most definitely, large ones on his hips and shoulders from hitting the sides of the vents with every turn, and he could feel small wet spots coming through on his legs and arms from cuts and scratches that were starting to bleed. He drew in another breath, feeling Cassio's leash move beside him as the dog limped forward lightly, coming to sniff at Copper and nudging at his hand, making sure he was alright, but before he could really say much on the matter, he focused finally on the feeling of something gripping his torso, something resting on his chest, and the all too familiar scent of sweet syrup that wafted up to his nose. In his fuzzy vision, he glanced down, finding Ridley still clung to him from having lunged for him above in the attic. Where he normally didn't like the close proximity, he had to at least admit that he liked being able to see what was actually holding on to him now, and where he wouldn't admit it, he liked the small bit of familiarity Ridley represented now, one of the only other aspects in this nightmare that was constant, that represented some shred of the outside world. However, the moment was quickly over as Ridley pushed away, leaving Copper on the ground as he grit his teeth from a bruise here and there that she hit. He wasn't going to argue, but he almost wished she hadn't let go. He still needed to make sure that there were physical things in the world that he could see rather than the nightmare he'd faced upstairs. His skin was still crawling and his mind was still ravaged, but the worst had to be over then, right? However, the one pertinent question that he'd had all this time had yet to be answered... Where was Ostinato...?
Beside him, Cassio was still nudging and licking at his hand as the dog moved under his arm then, coming to rest a paw on his chest, but Copper breathed again as he rested a hand on Cassio's head, patting the dog and taking one ear between his fingers, a sort of comfort thing he did without ever really thinking about it.
"It's okay Cassio, I'm getting up," Copper coughed finally, starting to move on the ground as Cassio, if hesitantly, moved from Copper's chest. As a guide dog, he was trained to lay there and draw attention to his master if he needed help, but as Copper moved on the ground, Cassio understood that he was in fact alright, if only a little. Copper coughed again, finding it hard to draw air into his lungs as he tried to sit up straight, finding more pain in his body with every motion that he took, a cloud of dust pluming from his clothes and hair as he coughed. He was completely covered from head to toe in dust and cobwebs from the ride down the old shafts, but it didn't bother him much as he started to try to stand with Cassio's help beside him.
"I know what you're going to say, so you don't need to say it," came Abban's voice finally, the fox stumbling a bit on his feet as Copper turned to face him.
"Good," Copper huffed, trying to stand up straight as he at least made a feeble attempt to brush himself off, but it was a fool's effort for him to know where the highest concentrations of dust were on his person.
"Next time, we're not going to a party," Abban groaned, stretching out his back after trying to hard to keep himself oriented in the shafts.
"My sentiments exactly," Copper agreed, though upon trying to move, he stumbled over what seemed to be a crack in the floor, and when he breathed in again, he almost gagged at the rotten mildew smell that overpowered the room. Now he almost wished he sill had Ridley laying on his chest so he could focus on the scent of her hair rather than the rancid stench that made him wrinkle his nose. He looked out though then, finding caved in tables and chairs collapsed on their legs, and one of the chandeliers sprawled out on the ground. While he couldn't very well see the extent of the damage of the area, he could still tell that something was wrong.
"What happened in here? Did the storm outside do this," Copper asked, looking to the fox then who had been taking in their surroundings as well. He could see everything that was wrong then, all the mold, the rancid food, the exposed and rotting wood. It didn't seem to be the work of the storm, but he didn't really have any other ideas on what might have happened.
"I don't really know... Something isn't right here," Abban snuffed, though his commentary was cut short as Ridley had since returned her attention to Copper moving towards him as she asked how he'd fared.
"As alright as I can be after being attacked by something that shouldn't exist," Copper returned sharply, but he paused on his words after, being able to hear the twinge in her own voice. She wasn't handling this any better than he was, if for different reasons. It wasn't going to do them any good for them to be butting heads again... He sighed then, his face softening if only a little.
"Are you alright? The trip down didn't hurt too much," Copper asked then, knowing that if he sustained the cuts and bruises that he did, she would have shared a similar fate.
Things were slowing down, calming as it were, and Copper's vision was slowly starting to clear up as he tried to focus through the ringing in his ears and the pounding in his head, but things were quick to shift as he looked down to Cassio growling, listening to the almost inaudible sound of small sparks starting to dance across his fur. Copper turned, following Cassio's gaze, finding a figure moving towards them down the stair case. He couldn't make out any finite detail to really determine who it was, but he had to assume it was the master Raphiel descending from the stair case as he had at the beginning of the party.
"Oh good, finally we can start making progress on all of this and tell him that something is wrong with his mansion," Copper breathed, unable to see the grotesque grin on his face or the blood that covered his body, or the inhuman cloud of black smoke that trailed behind him. Abban shot him a glance, but he had to digress, Copper couldn't see what was wrong with him, and couldn't place two and two together then that this master was what was wrong with this mansion, but before he could offer any words to keep Copper in his ignorance, the man started to speak in a grueling, gruesome voice. Slowly but surely Copper's sense of hope started to dwindle as he listened to the master's words. He was talking like that monster in the attic, about not making it back, and doing away with them...
"What... What's he talking about," Copper asked hesitantly, wondering why the master would be so cruel, like he was playing some kind of joke on them after the trouble they'd faced. Abban scrambled for words, trying to make it all as painless on Copper as possible, not wanting him to know that this master was otherwise... dead.
"Copper, there are bad people in the world, and he's one of them. He invited us all here to steal our friends and do away with us," Abban explained quickly as another figure started moving down the stair case, and Abban could recognize her as a Nurse Joy, the one who had joined the party with them as a guest, but she didn't look like she was amongst them any more... Or even amongst the living.
"I... I... Why would someone do that? Who are they," Copper asked, watching as even more figures descended from the stair case, and all he could make out were torn and tattered clothes, and the tone's of their voices. Abban looked down to Cassio who only offered a hasty shake of his head. If Copper couldn't see what happened to them, they weren't going to tell him.
"Don't listen to anything they're saying, they're just more bad people trying to scare us," Abban explained quickly as Cassio moved forward with a feral growl, feeling guilty for treating Copper like a child now, but considering how well he handled the episode upstairs, Abban couldn't imagine trying to explain the living dead to him...

Where Copper had been standing off to the side with Ridley and company, looking on to the growing tension that was rising amongst them, he couldn't for the life of him figure out why this was all happening. What purpose or reason could there be for inviting all of these trainers and guests to a ball only to steal their Pokemon and kill them all? Just the notion of it all was making Copper sick again as he wavered lightly on his feet, trying to make sense of it all. It was sick, and cruel, and if ever he could honestly say that there was something horribly, terribly utterly wrong with someone, it was this master Raphiel and his want to 'add to his collection'... The phrase made Copper shutter, still not wanting to think about how many had been in his place before him... How many had failed and how many he was going to share the same fate with... He didn't want to think like that, but he couldn't help but feel it was all imminent if this had all happened before. He didn't want to think about his death, not when he'd just gotten the freedom he wanted in his life... He didn't want to imagine losing Cassio, losing Abban and the rest of his Pokemon, never finding Ostinato, leaving the poor otter to wonder what happened to his trainer and why he didn't come for him...
"Copper, you're not going to die, none of us are. Don't think like that," Abban scorned, glancing to Copper who was going further into another tizzy of hysterics with every passing second.
"How do you know Abban? How can you say that as if you know you're right? Have you not been listening, they've been doing this sick, inhuman thing for years, and they succeed every time," Copper shot back, glaring at the fox now that stood beside him, clenching his fists. He really would like to know what gave Abban the idea that they were going to make it out of this alive, that they were going to get Ostinato back and all was going to be right with the world. He wanted to know how Abban thought he could tell such a hurtful, awful lie when their imminent deaths were staring right at them, and there was nothing they could do about it. He wanted to know... Why was this happening to him...? Why did he have to go through this just when he'd started his journey, when he'd finally gotten the freedom he'd longed for his whole life? Why was this happening to him when he was really and truly a good person, who didn't wish ill will upon the world around him and only wanted to become a part of it? Was this karma? Some kind of punishment from a force in the universe for him running away from home? Maybe he shouldn't have run away at all... Then none of this would be happening...
Standing beside him still, Abban almost growled at Copper's words as the fox tried to think. He knew there were some things Copper couldn't see, and as much as he hated to do it, as much as he hated to lie to him, he could only use it to his advantage to help Copper understand that they were going to come out of this alive, and Abban was going to make sure of it as much as Cassio was.
"So what then? You're just going to give up? Should we just put ourselves back in our pokeballs so you can just give us up now and save them the trouble," Abban growled, earning a snarl from Cassio in front of them who had taken the front lines to protect them, but the fox only waved slightly at the dog dismissively. Copper could only gape at Abban's words, really not knowing what to say. Of course he didn't want to give up, he didn't want to die and never see his Pokemon again, but what made Abban so sure that that was an option?
"Are you really going to back down after running away from home to experience the real world? I hate to break it to you, but this is the real world, and if this is too much for you, then maybe you should have never left," Abban offered finally, glaring at Copper now, but despite the teen's silence, he knew he had Copper's attention.
"All they are are bad people just trying to scare you. Don't let them scare you, we're going to make it out of this," Abban stated again, trying to drive the point home for Copper, just so he had something to hold on to even if in the harshest reality of it all, things were looking pretty grim with the dead leaders that were eying them from the stair case. He didn't know how long he might be able to hide it from Copper, but as long as he could do it now, he was going to take that option.
Copper listened to Abban's words, and was trying to take it all in the best that he could when as far as he could tell, Raphiel was gone, leaving the five new comers to do what it was they'd come to do as he found Ridley standing in front of him. She started backing up, grabbing on to his arm and pulling him away, off towards the concentrated cluster of trainers that had gathered. She had a point that he had to agree with as he actually went along with her this time, bidding Cassio with him who padded and lightly limped along with him, and Abban who followed close behind.
"Finally, an idea that actually works for both of us," Copper replied, only trying to keep himself in his right mind the best that he could as he moved to stand next to Ridley now as they stood amongst the group of trainers. However, no sooner did they settle than did the sounds of battle start to move through the air as the five at the head of the ballroom released a bout of Pokemon, and those amongst them had started to attack, Cassio following suit with a Shadow Ball aimed for the zebra. It made Cassio sick, seeing the Zebstrika they'd fought in Nimbasa City so beaten and bloodied, and he was absolutely revolted to be squaring off with Elesa like this, someone he knew in his life, but he couldn't let on on any of his discomforts, not wanting Copper to catch on to anything other than what Abban was telling him. Seeing these dead beings amongst them was one thing, but seeing someone he knew was another entirely, one that made Cassio utterly ill, but he couldn't imagine how Copper's fragile, sheltered mind would handle it... He couldn't let him bear that pain...

Standing beside Ridley, Copper had since undone the clasp on Cassio's leash to allow the dog to take the front lines of the battle, despite his ever present reluctance. Where he was riddled with pain, with bruises and scs that covered his skin from falling through the metal air vents, he knew Cassio endured some injuries too, watching the dog limp lightly forward to take the heat of the battle. He knew though, as much as he wanted to, that arguing with the dog would be futile, about as futile as trying to accept Abban's words on the ordeal at hand. This was what Cassio was trained for in the most basic sense, to protect Copper and make sure he didn't get hurt, but these were the most awful, extreme conditions, and he couldn't bear to let his companion take the full force of the battle. The dog was hurt already, but Copper knew he was always stronger than he might give him credit for. He knew it hurt Cassio when he wouldn't let him battle, thinking that he needs to be protected just like the dog protects him, but he could never help it. Cassio has never been his guide dog, his trained security force. He's the only real friend Copper had ever had in his life, his first step into the real world that he'd been hidden from, and to see him get hurt, to see him bear any pain was taxing.
Around them the full force of the battle was just getting started as the ballroom was being ransacked even more with a myriad of attacks from all sides. The five people that Raphiel had left to do them all in were at the head of it all, their own Pokemon taking the attacks thrown at them, and dealing back the damage taken. Through the crowd though, and over the commotion of Pokemon calls and attacks, Copper couldn't help but hear distress and anguish coming from a few voices amongst them, catching pieces of tormented cries and loathsome curses. He by all means was just as upset as the next person, but he couldn't understand why all of a sudden this bout of anger and remorse was sprouting.
"What's going on," Copper asked Abban, wondering what on earth some of the trainers were talking about. His ears were still ringing a bit, and his vision still slightly fuzzy, but he could make out most of what he could tune into. Why were they talking about the opposing Pokemon like their own...?
Beside him, Abban started to panic a little, knowing that trying to explain this all to Copper was the last thing on the planet he wanted to do, knowing it would certainly break the blind teen, but before he could try and form any sort of words to bring forth an explanation, the voices of the living dead rose above that of the trainers again as they were sending their Pokemon forward to attack. Abban could only wince at the sound of Elesa's voice, knowing it would only take Copper that split second to focus at the mention of a Jolteon. Copper turned, facing the figure now who was pointing at Cassio, watching a hooved horse shaped creature rear back before the sound of static and electricity filled the air. The voice stuck in his head, the shape of the Pokemon sent forward to attack Cassio. A Zebstrika, a female voice he'd heard before, not only heard before but knew...
"....That... That's Elesa...," Copper said finally, watching Cassio shake off the electricity from his coat, taking an easy hit, but his focus wasn't on Cassio now, it was on the figure in front of them.
"I don't... What is Elesa doing? Why is she saying all of those horrible things and attacking us? She would never...," Copper began, looking to Abban then, searching for an answer. While he wasn't best friends with the gym leader, he knew her well enough being from Nimbasa City. She frequented his parents' theatre, and their performances, and he'd spoke with her on such a basis. And it wasn't a month or so ago that he'd challenged her gym... He couldn't understand why she was attacking him and the other trainers, why she was slandering them and calling them such awful things... Why she was with the master Raphiel...
"That's not Elesa, she doesn't even sound like her. She would never attack us being a gym leader, that would go against her title," Abban stammered, searching for anything that he could use to even remotely take Copper off of the track that he was heading down, but he knew it was too late...
"You can't be serious. You think I wouldn't be able to recognize her voice? Her voice sounds different, yes, but it's her, I know it is. There's something you're not telling me, isn't there," Copper said finally, leering at Abban. The fox had been dodging questions and dancing around his answers ever since they got back to the ballroom. There was something going on that he wasn't explaining, and he had every right to know what it was. The fox was panicking now, frantically searching for words, but it was his silence that gave Copper the answer he knew was coming. He'd been lying this whole time, but for what, he wasn't sure.
"Ridley, what's really going on around here? Why is Elesa attacking us, and why is everyone talking about those Pokemon like they belong to them," Copper asked finally, moving in closer to Ridley now as he looked to her. He was far beyond trying to keep it cool around her and prove that he could take care of himself. He knew he was blind and couldn't see everything he needed to like he thought he could, but he needed to know what it was that he couldn't see right then that was so dire and important that it was causing Elesa to use her Zebstrika against them, but before he could really get an answer, a deafening, forceful noise blaired through the ballroom, causing Copper's vision to go blank as he sank to the ground, clasping his hands over his ears with a pained cry. Cassio and Abban were both thrust back at the force of the noise, splaying them across the ground as the attack had struck the entire ballroom. Cassio struggled on the ground then, his legs collapsing under himself for only a moment before he managed only to aim a Shadow Ball at the tattered Charizard before them, trying to bide his strength then as he slowly got up from the ground on his four paws.

There had only been a moment's worth of time between Copper inquiring to Ridley about what was going on and the deafening attack that had shaken the entire ballroom, to which Copper had just barely caught her response to things before he was rendered useless once more by the ringing of his ears and the pounding of his head. In his trying to cope with the pain, he could barely process what words were given to him, something about being possessed, how it was all Raphiel's fault... That much he knew now, he could understand that Raphiel was a horrific, terrible, loathsome being that should have never been allowed to walk the earth, but nothing else Ridley said made any sense. Bleeding? Torn open? Who was hurt so badly? And what about the stolen Pokemon? They were using them...? That wouldn't make any sense either, the stolen Pokemon were theirs, they wouldn't attack their trainers, their own teammates, she couldn't possibly understand what she was talking about with such words. However, trying to process it all was the least of Copper's concerns as he occupied himself with trying to ease the pain of his head, trying to focus on even the smallest things so he could see again, but everything was just a blurr around him, no defined shapes, no defined sounds, it was all just one giant mess of garble and fuzzy images, and he couldn't do a damn thing to fix it.
On the front of the battle, already having weathered so much, Cassio was struggling on his four paws as he slowly but surely stood from his spot on the ground, shaking his fur of dust and rubble and trying to get his own ears to stop ringing from the force of the attack. However, it only took him that split second to realize that if his own ears were in pain, Copper behind him must be suffering something awful as he immediately turned, finding Copper writhing on the ground, his hands clasped over his ears, gritting his teeth in pain. The dog limped quickly in Copper's direction, but was met with Abban who too was struggling to recover from the sudden attack, looking up to the fox with a feral glare.
"I'll take care of him, someone needs to head off the battle," Abban coughed, dusting himself off with a shaky hand as he looked down to Cassio in front of him.
"How can I trust him with you you pompus freak," Cassio growled, taking a stance then, ready to go through Abban if he had to to get to Copper. Abban knew something like that was going to come, knowing that Cassio knew of their resentment for each other, and he had to admit, he regretted already what he'd said to Copper earlier about how helpless and useless he was.
"Look, sitting here and fighting isn't going to help us. You're the stronger out of us, I'm still working on my power," Abban tried to argue, but before much else could be said on the matter, the ground beneath their paws began to shake and tremble as a wave of destruction was coming their way, and it was far too late to take any action before the ground started to thrust upwards beneath them, striking them with rocks and shards of marble that knocked them to the ground. Abban gave out a cry as he struggled to remain standing where Cassio yelped at being knocked to the side, skidding across the ground towards Copper who too had been knocked over at the force of the attack. But where the blind teen was struggling still in trying to see straight, he heard that all too familiar sound loud and clear as he opened his pale eyes, trying to find Cassio.
"Cassio," Copper cried out, still gripping the leather of his leash as he tried to move forward, but with his lack of range in his sight, he could only stay still, knowing it was the smart thing to do before he ran into something or got himself hit by another stray attack.
"Cassio," Copper called again, moving slowly on the ground to try and find anything before he came to touch familiar fur under his hand. He reached out tentatively in his blindness, laying a hand on Cassio's figure then as he settled on the ground beside him, stroking the dog's dusty and rubble filled fur.
"Cassio, are you alright," Copper breathed finally, his voice catching in his throat though as he felt Cassio's body shudder at trying to move, hearing the dog yelp quietly at the pain that he had endured with the attack. Still the dog was alive, and moving at least as he looked up to Copper, finding him looking down at him. He moved slowly then on the ground on shaking legs, trying to get himself to at least prop himself up on the elbows of his front legs as he moved his head into Copper's lap, whimpering slightly at the movement as Copper stroked his head.
"No more, please, you're done in the battle, I can't let you get hurt like this any more," Copper pleaded quietly.
"We still need someone to help in the fight... We've lost so many allies already...," Abban coughed then, struggling as he moved towards Copper, luckily enough speaking through his mind so the teen could actually make out his words, but Copper only shook his head at Abban's words, clutching Cassio ever tighter.
"No, I can't let anyone get hurt like this, not any more," Copper argued, but Abban, however noble his words were, wasn't going to listen to Copper. They needed all the help they could get with how unrelenting the attacks from the enemies were getting, so it was with the knowledge that Copper couldn't see anything at that moment that Abban released Stretto from his Pokeball, knowing the small bat would do well in holding up in the midst of the battle after all the personal training the fox had done with the dragon. And before Copper could make any notice, it was a small lucky stroke that his focus shifted with Ridley who had returned to his side after having had a word with those who were attacking their allies.
Copper almost flinched at the touch on his shoulder, barely able to make out sounds and shapes now as his vision was slowly coming to, but the ever faint scent of sweet syrup came to his senses, letting him know then that it was Ridley. He relaxed, if only slightly, under her touch, trying to focus and sift through the noises and screams around him as he looked towards her, slowly making out the shape of her next to him, catching the few words she gave to him through the haze of his ringing ears.
"I can't see, my ears hurt too much... Is Cassio alright? Are you alright too? Did those attacks hurt you," Copper asked in concern and worry, wanting to make sure that those around him weren't in need of any dire help considering the conditions they were in, but it wasn't moments later that things took a turn for ugly as Abban standing beside them looked out to the battle at the sound of an all too familiar name coming from the mouth of one of the dead leaders in front of them, finding the mangled, beaten figure of a Samurott standing before them where Copper too caught on to the sound of the name as things were slowly starting to become clear again. He had to ponder for a moment, wondering if he really did hear what he thought he did and he wasn't just trying to make things sound like Ostinato's name, but with Abban connected, still reluctantly, to his mind, he felt a pain coming to his mind, the sound of a strained cry coming to him. He felt Cassio beside him tense up too as he looked out around him, trying to focus on the shapes that were moving in front of him. Ridley's words from before came to his mind, something about the stolen Pokemon... But it couldn't be, could it...? They couldn't possibly have the Pokemon that had been taken from them, the Pokemon they'd been searching for all night, the ones that were their own friends and allies...
"Abban, where is he," Copper asked aloud then, slowly making out the figure of the fox standing beside him as he looked up intently, feeling angst and frustration, worry and remorse coming to his mind from the psychic, but Abban was quiet otherwise, his eyes fixed on the figure of his beaten friend, watching the feral water type attack one of their allies on command... He couldn't be gone, he couldn't have been taken like that... Abban tried with everything in his power to find the otter, to find his friend and connect to him, anything to make him stop and come to his sense, but he was gone, he couldn't find him anywhere... He was lost just like all of the other Pokemon were...
"Abban! Where is Ostinato," Copper asked again, his voice growing stronger with anger at being denied the answer he clearly needed, and Abban's silence was only making matters worse, silence meant there was something happening, something he was trying to hide from Copper, using his blindness as a cover, and knowing that only made Copper sick as he glared up at the fox now.
"Where is he," he asked again, this time shouting as he looked out to the battle in front of him, shapes slowly starting to form as the ringing had since started to subside, and if he didn't know any better he could make out the figure of a Samurott in front of them, standing there on it's four broad legs, it's flat tail lifted behind it.
"Ostinato... What... What is he doing out there? That's him, isn't it...," Copper gasped, knowing then that he'd heard his name, someone calling it out, but still Abban beside him was silent, which only made Copper more and more angry with every passing second.
"Why won't you answer me you damned fox! I've been trying to get you to shut up all night and now you won't say a word! What is going on," Copper shouted then, reluctantly moving from Cassio as he struggled on his own, trembling legs now as he stood, moving towards the fox, but he felt the fox there in his mind, remorse then as his quiet voice came to him.
"He's gone...," was all that came to Copper, making the teen stop for only a moment to take in the few words given to him, but those alone didn't make any sense which only frustrated Copper more as he glared at Abban.
"Gone? What the hell are you talking about!? That's him right there, you see him, I know you do! Tell me, why is he over there with the Pokemon that are attacking us," Copper seethed, getting sick and tired of not having his questions answere, of being sheltered, of being protected. He wanted to know what was going on and why these things were happening, but no one was telling him a damn thing and it was driving him insane.
"He's gone, okay! Don't you understand," Abban barked back then, turning at Copper with bared fangs.
"You want to know what's happening so bad, then fine," Abban snarled, finally breaking under all of Copper's curses and his insolence to the world around him, and in a fleeting moment of uncontrollable power, Abban connected sharply with Copper's mind as he glared out to the field of Pokemon, staring straight at Ostinato who was standing there with bleeding matted fur, his horn broken and his shell shattered, his lifeless, souless eyes glaring out above snarling, dripping fangs before Copper reeled back in pain with a sharp cry, clutching his head and shutting his eyes tight. However, the image was forever imprinted in his mind then as Abban had showed him exactly what he was seeing right then and there in that moment, the first time Copper had ever truly seen something in his life.
"Hope you can live with the regret. You brought that on yourself," Abban growled then as he watched Copper sink to the ground, tears starting to streak down his face as he crumpled in on himself.

Standing there in the midst of the rain and winds that had started to move through the ballroom from the open window, small beads of glass littering the ground around his paws as Abban stood there in his place on the broken marble floor, he watched Copper sink to the ground as in that fleeting moment of power, he'd granted Copper, for that split second, the ability of sight. He'd connected with the boy's mind, shrouded his own eyes from their vision and used his own eyes to cast out to the horrific scene in front of them, their lost teammate, his best friend, bloodied and dead before them. He did blame Copper for what had happened as Ostinato's Pokeball had been taken from his belt and the otter was returned, for were it not for his incompetence and inability to effecitvely conduct himself in the real world, he would not be watching with horror and fury as his tattered friend attacked without mercy at the hands of the monstrosities before them. He watched his trainer writhe on the floor then, or rather just the mere human who had caused this turmoil, caused them to lose their teammate as his precious companion who had been laying almost lifelessly on the floor struggled to crawl towards him. Abban only stared down at him with anger and fury, and a burning heat that seethed in his fangs as he clutched his paws into fists, but before he could say much else, feeling the pain of Copper's mind starting to flood into his own, his sharp, feral glare was turned to the female Ridley who took to moving towards Copper's side.
He could hear the worry in her voice, see the concern in her demeanor as she approached him, but where he would have thought her focus then would have souly been on Copper, trying to help the useless human come out of whatever pained state his flux of power had caused him, she was quick to shift her focus from Copper on the ground to himself who was standing above the human. She questioned him first in confusion and concern, but it was quick to turn to anger and rage as she came at him, shoving at his chest. Abban moved with the shove, glaring down at the human who dared to touch him with bared fangs.
"He wanted to understand what was happening, but he is blind to the world, so I showed him precisely what he asked for," Abban snarled, though the human's words only continued to come in a furious anger as she scorned and yelled at him for his actions. Who was she to scold him for what he'd done? Copper had done nothing but beg and plead to have an explanation on what was happening, and how on Arceus' green earth was Abban supposed to explain that their teammate was killed and turned against them in the undead form that he was in now? He couldn't see what was wrong with him, and certainly wouldn't stand to listen to what was wrong with him since his mind was so closed off to what it was that could really happen in the world around him. His life was so sheltered, so cut off from reality that anything that slightly divered from his own shrouded beliefs was immediately shut down and cast away as though it did not exist. How else was Abban supposed to give Copper the answer he so desperately craved?
"You have no place human, to deragate me for my actions. He needed to see what was happening, otherwise he'd still be as blind as he claims he isn't," Abban growled, but his words meant nothing to the human Ridley as she dared to raise her hand to him and struck him across the face. Abban stood there as rain continued to mist over his fur, steam beginning to rise from a fire beginning to seat itself in the back of his throat as she continued to assault him with the words on what a mistake it was to answer Copper's desperate pleas, but before he dared to open his mouth, a light emanating from his throat, Ridley had stopped talking, and froze all together.

On the ground off to the side of the argument, Copper's hands were clasped around his head as his eyes were screwed shut, though that didn't stop the tears from streaming down his face as he sobbed in distress and pain at the intrusion of his mind. Abban's power was so raw and so uncontrolled that as he'd forced himself into Copper's mind so fully and unexpectedly, it'd caused a great deal of pain for his already fragile state as his head throbbed and writhed in pain. However, the physical pain of Abban's power was the least of Copper's concerns as the brief, split second image that had shown itself in his mind was there, imprinted in his mind, in his memory, the likes of which he had never seen before. He couldn't begin to fathom or imagine what it was precisely that he was seeing, he could imagine the outlines of everything, the way he would see it normally, but to have those shapes and figures filled in, to be seeing colors and expressions, and blood for the first time, it was far too much for Copper to bear and process as he sunk to the ground. No matter how much he wanted it to go away, how much he wanted to take the image away from his mind and forget he'd ever seen it, Copper knew it was going to be there for the rest of his life as he tried to force it out of his mangled, ruined mind, but after this, after actually seeing for the first time in his entire life, Copper never wanted to 'see' anything again, and now almost wished that he was entirely blind. Cassio on the ground beside him now tried and struggled to crawl towards him, not having the energy and resolve to take down Abban and make sure he never hurt Copper again like he should, but he knew too that despite his innate intinct to rip out Abban's throat, he needed to be there for Copper in his struggling, to try and comfort him as he pushed his head into Copper's lap. He couldn't fathom what the fox had done until he, if reluctantly, listened to Ridley's words, and couldn't begin to imagine what kind of pain and torture his blind master could be going through. There was nothing Cassio could do, he knew that, and it was torture for him to watch Copper writhe and struggle with tears dripping down his cheeks and his chin, but what came next might as well have killed Cassio as he felt Copper's body grow stiff.
His trembling stopped and his sobs were silenced as Copper's body tensed and grew stiff, completely unmoving as he slowly started to raise from the ground. Cassio whimpered, beginning to panic, trying to stand on his paws and force himself into Copper's lap to weigh him down so his body would stop moving, but it was to no avail as he slipped off and onto the ground with a thud, causing him to yelp as he struggled to stand again, trying to reach for Copper's body. Abban too watched now, as Ridley was also rising into the air, unable to control her own motions as he watched her struggle to even speak, but his anger and seething frustration, the fire still sitting in the back of his throat was what caused him to only glance at Copper who was still in the air now above the broken marble floors. Even if he felt wrong for his actions and the pain he'd caused Copper, there was no reversing it now, no taking it away. He couldn't rewrite that he'd just forced himself into Copper's mind and showed him the very thing that was causing the rest of the ballroom to rage in hysteria and madness, and no amount of recompense was going to make Copper forgive him, not even trying to save him as his limp body fell to the floor then.
Everything went black for Copper in that split moment, unable to process what had happened. One second he was listening to screams and shouts that clouded his damaged vision as he struggled to move let alone breathe, and the next he was still struggling to breathe as a pain wracked his entire body that was laying limp on the ground. He coughed, trying to take in what little air he could as his lungs struggled to hold any amount of the oxygen his body craved, and half of his body was almost numb with throbbing pain as he'd fallen to the broken marble floor on his side, curled up as he had been upon sinking to the ground before. He had no words, no remarks, no notion of coming back to the outside world. All he knew in that moment was pain and torture as he remained on the ground, just as still and lifeless as he had been upon being raised into the air. He didn't move, didn't make a sound, not even as Cassio who was now whimpering not from his own pain but from the fear of his trainer's state of being moved towards him on the ground, curling into the shape of Copper's bruised and scratched body as he laid himself beside his trainer. He was not going to leave Copper's side, not for anything in the world. If he was going to die, he was going to die right there beside him, he would make sure of it.

Through the distress and anguish that filled the ballroom, a single Pokeball in Copper's bag shuttered and opened, it's occupant unable to handle the horrific nature of the surrounding area until Calla appeared in the midst of the battle. She was distraught and hurt at the state of everyone in the room, unable to figure where to start in trying to help, but she knew that she had to do something if Copper was going to make it out of all of this alive. He was barely hanging on as it was. She moved through the air, slowly and hesitantly, but stopped at the other human that she knew to be with Copper since having been keeping in touch with the outside world the entirety of the night, the human girl who was struggling just as much as he was to hold on through such perils. She moved quietly towards her, hoving lightly in the air above her now as she looked down to the human, her own strength of will emanating from her small body then.
"Please human, Copper needs your help. Will you help me," Calla asked in a soft, cautious voice, hoping that the one thing Copper had been holding on to all night, the one familiar thing that reminded him of the outside world, this other human, would be able to help him in his time of need, knowing that in such a broken state, and his own misgivings still towards the small psychic herself, it was going to take much more than just herself to help her trainer. Though as she had wanted to move towards him on the ground off to the side, the battle around them had taken another ugly turn as the ceiling above them caved in from a meteor bursting through, bringing in the rain and wind from the outside even more as it rushed through the entirety of the ballroom now. Debris was falling from every corner, blowing around in furious whips of wind and rain that came from the hurricane, and with one last blow from a falling meteor, a chandelier from the ceiling fell, crashing to the floor.